About me
Jenni Jones-Tims is an educator in the South Lyon Community School District and a leader in the development and implementation of school-based therapy dog programming in the district. She is the handler of her school’s social-emotional learning (SEL) dog, Louie, and has played a key role in helping to build, sustain, and expand the district’s therapy dog programming.
With a background in education and a strong focus on creating supportive, student-centered environments, Ms. Jones-Tims has helped integrate therapy dogs into daily school routines to enhance student well-being, emotional regulation, and connection. Through her work, she has helped demonstrate how therapy dogs can support students during times of stress, strengthen relationships within school communities, and contribute to a positive school climate.
Ms. Jones-Tims’ experience includes navigating the practical aspects of program development within a public school system, including stakeholder engagement, implementation logistics, and sustainability. She brings a real-world perspective on how therapy dog programs can be successfully embedded into educational settings in a way that is both meaningful and feasible.
She is passionate about supporting the whole child and believes strongly in the impact of innovative, relationship-based approaches such as therapy dog programming to create safe, welcoming, and responsive learning environments for all students.
